Crop Production in the East of Scotland - SASA

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IntroductionThe Pattern of Farming TodayTables 1.3 and 1.4 give a snapshot offarming in the East of Scotland, using datafrom the 1998 Agricultural Census (AEFD,1999a) for: Scottish Borders, Lothian, EastCentral, Fife, Tayside and North-EastScotland. Detailed analyses of croppingand crop yields are presented in Chapter 4.Unlike the areas used for the calculations inchapters 2 and 4, these census data alsoincorporate a substantial proportion ofupland farming, with a greaterconcentration on livestock production andforestry.The census data confirm:• the relatively large mean arable area perholding;• the low (less than 4% of the agriculturalarea) but expanding area of woodland;Table 1.3Characteristics of farms in the East of Scotland, 1998 (AEFD, 1999a).All data, except glasshouses, are expressed per holding.Area Arable area a , Total area b , Woodland c Glass-houses d , Totalha ha ha m 2 workforce bScottish Borders 94.7 110.6 15.6 7,386 3.1Lothians 81.7 81.9 10.9 56,502 3.4East Central 41.3 57.1 13.7 21,127 2.6Fife 83.0 82.3 8.8 27,270 3.2Tayside 72.0 78.0 18.6 92,766 2.8North-East 58.2 60.6 11.9 41,466 2.3a: mean over farms with arable; c: mean over farms with woodland;b: mean over all farms, excluding rough grazing; d: total for area.Table 1.4 Characteristics of livestock production in the East of Scotland, 1998(AEFD, 1999a). All data, except total cattle and sheep, are expressedper holdingArea Dairy Beef Total Sheep d Total Pigs e Poultry fcows a cows b cattle c sheep cScottish Borders 94.5 76.7 153,744 1476 1.482m 456 2,908Lothians 73.2 63.9 54,385 891 0.273m 1,548 16,508East Central 74.2 43.6 66,379 963 0.428m 136 10,040Fife 81.3 57.9 60,765 532 0.116m 873 23,081Tayside 82.5 54.1 129,824 937 0.816m 1,087 12,514North East 91.3 54.1 387,422 410 0.751m 1,131 3,353a: mean over dairy farms; d: mean over sheep-rearing farms;b: mean over beef-rearing farms; e: mean over pig-rearing farms;c: total number for area; f: mean over poultry enterprises15
Crop Production in the East of Scotland• the fairly limited area of intensivehorticulture, concentrated near the citiesof Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen – asare intensive dairy, pig and poultryproduction;• the small workforce (60,148 for thewhole of Scotland, equivalent to 29.3 haof crops and grass per worker),indicating a high degree ofintensification and mechanisation (andefficiency in terms of output per unit oflabour);• the integration of crop and livestockagriculture (much of the cereal producedgoes to support intensive dairy, beef, pigand poultry production; and lowlandgrassland supports the dairy industry,and the fattening and overwintering ofcattle and sheep);• the large size of the units of livestockproduction (on a European scale).In spite of the high yield potential of arablecropping in the East of Scotland, the tradedagricultural products of the area arepredominantly livestock and industrialproducts. This reality is reflected, forexample, in the concentration of resourcesfor education and research in Scotland onanimal and veterinary science (seeAppendix 1).The contribution of agriculture to theScottish economy is summarised in Table1.5. The main features of the analysis are:• the declining income from agriculture(Income in 1998 = 31% of that in 1995),owing to a range of factors including thedepression of prices caused by thestrength of the pound and the sharpdecline in the livestock sector (BSE andoverproduction in the sheep/pig sectors)• the predominance of livestock products(63.4% of output in 1994; 60.1% in 1998)• the very small direct contribution thatagriculture (employing 60,000) makes tothe Scottish economy (GDP = ca £60bn,employing 1.3m)Table 1.5The Financial Status of Scottish Agriculture by Sector (£m)16Output 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998Cereals 320 423 432 340 296Other Crops 184 284 179 133 178Horticulture 75 84 92 87 95Finished Livestock 942 1036 1033 968 858Store Livestock 54 53 48 47 36Livestock Products 327 331 341 307 274Gross Output 2,087 2,409 2,318 2,111 1,943Gross Input a 1,054 1,091 1,177 1,124 1,095Gross Value Added b 1,033 1,318 1,142 987 848Total Income from Farming c 493 743 555 365 231Source: Economic Report on Scottish Agriculture. (AEFD, 1999b)a: seeds, fertilisers, feed, machinery etc.; c: Gross value added – fixed capital costs,b: Gross output – gross input; subsidies, hired labour, interest and rent.
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Crop Production in the East of Scotland - SASA

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